New York Sightseeing Pass

Wezz

Going to NYC in Feb with my partner, first time for both of us and we want to do as much sightseeing as we can. There seems to be a lot of sightseeing passes available at quite a high price and I'm a bit confused about which is the best .

A few questions:

1. Is it possible to buy a pass locally or should we be buying them before hand
2. Which pass offers the best value for a couple who want to see as much as they can within a few days
3. Any suggestions of where is the best value to buy tickets for broadway shows

Ta in advance

fdevine

Having just come back from NYC I would look at buying or booking as much as you can before you go.

Didn't get a sightseeing pass but there are quite a few decent guides online if you google it. May or may not be worth your while. We didn't do any museums or galleries and only did one paid attraction so would not have been value for money for us to get a pass.

There are sites and kiosks for reduced price Broadway tickets but if whatever you want to see is a popular show then I wouldn't risk waiting until you're over there.

We did Phantom last Thursday and it was a full house. Booked tickets online in June.

Interesting101

It really depends on what you like and how long you have there ?? If your going for say 3 days do you really want to queue and go up 3 different observation decks ? You can see Empire State from TOTR .

How many museums would you like to go to. You could spend a full day in just one if that's your thing.

So I'd work back from how long your there for, take a look a trip advisor things to do and try make a list of what you really want to see and go from there.

I went in Sept and didn't buy any sightseeing pass...I just bough a ticket for TOTR observation deck, MOMA and Broadway ticket separately but did loads of "sightseeing". Like (SOL, TSq,Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Highline, Wall Street, Hudson Ferries, 9/11 Memorial and lots of other local districts)

fdevine

As previous poster has reinforced, it all depends on preference & time available.

Lots of free or cheap sightseeing available. We walked from midtown to FiDi, so got to take in Chelsea & SoHo neighbourhoods along the way.

Staten Island ferry is free and passes right by the Statue of Liberty and St. George ferry is $4 and takes you up the Hudson to Battery Park or on to midtown. Both ferries have great views of the Manhattan skyline. Not all the Staten Island ferries have open desk but St. George has an upper open deck with seating.

Central Park, 5th Avenue, Times Square & Bryant Park with its Winter Village & ice skating are all free.

Pick what you want to see and what you will realistically have time to see before totalling up the admission prices to compare with the pass options.

fabvinny

We used the New York Pass a few years ago,had it before we went.

I think we did Ellis Island,Top of the Rock and the 9/11 Museum with them. If I remember right,it did save a few dollars buying beforehand.

hynesie08

Is it possible to buy a pass locally or should we be buying them before hand

Buy beforehand, whatever one you go for it's a hefty bill so get it ASAP, plus they only go live when you activate them, so just buy it and it's done.

Which pass offers the best value for a couple who want to see as much as they can within a few days

https://www.sightseeingpass.com/en/new-york/day-pass

I like these guys, they do a per day pass but they also do a set number of attractions pass, so a bit more freedom if you lose a day wandering around Chinatown

Any suggestions of where is the best value to buy tickets for broadway shows

The todaytix app does discounted tickets a month out, and if you turn notifications on they often do fee free sales.

Broadwaybox.com often have discount codes as well.

I'm not sure it'd be recommended in February, but rushing for tickets can be a fun experience, I've had good luck in the lotteries for Book of Mormon and Wicked as well.

https://freetoursbyfoot.com/how-to-get-broadway-rush-tickets

Wezz

Thanks for all the replies. I suppose we thought we'd spend most of the day doing sightseeing but if we have to do a lot of queuing I might rethink spending money on a pass. We had thought of the 9/11 museum, maybe a bus tour and the Empire State as must do's so probably not worth the money to buy a pass. It's gonna be cold so I don't know what else we can do but sight see. Lots of food for thought there.

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119846077#Comment_119846077

Lot's of places have a dedicated queue for pass holders, the likes of Rockefeller/empire state give you a time when you get your ticket. I've been to nearly all of them multiple times and excessive queueing had never been an issue.

Interesting101

Also just a note re observation decks / bookings......Feb might be busy with Valentine's but the view from Empire / TOTR is dependelant on weather..So if your there for a few days I wouldn't book that until you are over there and can check the forecast ...Morning time can be quieter and some people prefer to see the sunset view ...You can just book online.I went for a morning view from TOTR and the view of Empire State and Central Park were amazing.

I did the evening ferry on the Hudson for the sunset / nightscape and it was fab.

You'll have a fab time anyway so enjoy.

redhill

Would anyone know if the sightseeing pass guides do any Black Friday offers??